Euripides, The Phoenician Women, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 1019

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Du kamst, du kamst, flugelschnelles Kind der Erde

Und der Schlang' im Hades,

Zu rauben Kadmos' Stamm,

Verderbenschwer, mit Tod bewehrt,
1010

Halb ein Mädchenleib,

Feindlich Grauen, das

Wild die Schwingen hob,

Mit rohen Klau'n zerfleischend:

Sphinx, die du von Dirke's Flur
1015

Die Jüngling' einst entrafftest,

Und zu grauser Unthat

Grause Lieder singend,

Blutige Leiden erschufest der heimischen

Erd': ein Mörder war der Gott,
1020

Welcher Das verhångte!

Und Weheruf der Mütter scholl

Und Weheruf der Töchter scholl

Durch der Hauser Räume;

Ein klåglich, klåglich Jammerschrein,
1025

Ein klåglich, klåglich Trauerlied

Wimmert' hier und dort von Einem wechselnd durch die

Donnerähnlich klang ihr

Seufzen, klang ihr Wehruf,

lange Stadt.

Wann die beschwingte Jungfrau sich
1030

Einen aus der Männer Zahl entführte.

Gegenstrophe.

The Phoenician Women. Euripides. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1841; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 1, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1841. Harvard OCR compared with an independent BSB copy. Native Donner verse citations, Murray reference cards, explicitly located notes and page facsimiles. Unresolved OCR, verse divisions, unlocated notes and printed errata are documented in the source review.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Φοίνισσαι Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)) — 1019-1066 focus

Χορός

ἔβας ἔβας,

ὦ πτεροῦσσα, γᾶς λόχευμα

νερτέρου τʼ Ἐχίδνας,
1020

Καδμείων ἁρπαγά,

πολύφθορος πολύστονος

μειξοπάρθενος,

δάιον τέρας,

φοιτάσι πτεροῖς

χαλαῖσί τʼ ὠμοσίτοις·
1025

Διρκαίων ἅ ποτʼ ἐκ

τόπων νέους πεδαίρουσʼ

ἄλυρον ἀμφὶ μοῦσαν

ὀλομέναν τʼ Ἐρινὺν

ἔφερες ἔφερες ἄχεα πατρίδι
1030

φόνια· φόνιος ἐκ θεῶν

ὃς τάδʼ ἦν ὁ πράξας.

ἰάλεμοι δὲ ματέρων,

ἰάλεμοι δὲ παρθένων

ἐστέναζον οἴκοις·
1035

ἰηιήιον βοάν,

ἰηιήιον μέλος,

ἄλλος ἄλλʼ ἐπωτότυζε

διαδοχαῖς ἀνὰ πτόλιν.

βροντᾷ δὲ στεναγμὸς

ἀχά τʼ ἦν ὅμοιος,
1040

ὁπότε πόλεος ἀφανίσειεν

ἁ πτεροῦσσα παρθένος τινʼ ἀνδρῶν.

1043

Χορός

χρόνῳ δʼ ἔβα

Πυθίαις ἀποστολαῖσιν

Οἰδίπους ὁ τλάμων

Θηβαίαν τάνδε γᾶν
1045

τότʼ ἀσμένοις, πάλιν δʼ ἄχη·

ματρὶ γὰρ γάμους

δυσγάμους τάλας

καλλίνικος ὢν

αἰνιγμάτων συνάπτει,

μιαίνει δὲ πτόλιν·
1050

διʼ αἱμάτων δʼ ἀμείβει

μυσαρὸν εἰς ἀγῶνα

καταβαλὼν ἀραῖσι

τέκεα μέλεος. ἀγάμεθʼ ἀγάμεθʼ,

ὃς ἐπὶ θάνατον οἴχεται
1055

γᾶς ὑπὲρ πατρῴας,

Κρέοντι μὲν λιπὼν γόους,

τὰ δʼ ἑπτάπυργα κλῇθρα γᾶς

καλλίνικα θήσων.

γενοίμεθʼ ὧδε ματέρες
1060

γενοίμεθʼ εὔτεκνοι, φίλα

Παλλάς, ἃ δράκοντος αἷμα

λιθόβολον κατειργάσω,

Καδμείαν μέριμναν

ὁρμήσασʼ ἐπʼ ἔργον,

ὅθεν ἐπέσυτο τάνδε γαῖαν
1065

ἁρπαγαῖσι δαιμόνων τις ἄτα.

Translations (2)

The Phoenician Maidens Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. II. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1891. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 1019-1065 focus

Chorus

You came, you came, O winged creature, born of earth

and hellish viper, to prey upon the sons of Cadmus, full of death, full of sorrow, half a maiden, a murderous monster, with roving wings
1020

and ravening claws; you once caught up youths from the haunts of Dirce, with discordant song,
1025

and you brought, you brought a murderous grief, a deadly curse to our native land. A deadly god he was who brought all this to pass. Mourning of mothers, mourning of maidens,
1030

filled the houses with groans; a lamenting cry, a lamenting song, one after another wailed out, in turn throughout the city. The roar of the groaning
1035

was like thunder, whenever the winged maiden bore a man out of sight from the city.
1040

1043

Chorus

At last came Oedipus, the man of sorrow, sent from Delphi

to this land of Thebes , a joy to us then, but afterwards a cause of grief; for, when he guessed the riddle triumphantly, he formed with his mother an unhallowed union, woe to him!
1045

polluting the city; and striking down his sons by his curses, he handed them over to loathsome strife, through blood, the wretched man.
1050

We admire him, we admire him,

who has gone to his death in his country’s cause, leaving tears to Creon, but bringing a crown of victory to our seven fenced towers.
1055

May we be mothers in this way, may we have such fair children, dear PalIas, you who with well-aimed stone spilled the serpent’s blood, rousing Cadmus to brood upon the task,
1060

from which a demon’s curse swooped upon this land and ravaged it.
1065

The Phoenician Virgins (OCR draft) Experimental (The Phoenician Virgins. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

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Euripides The Phoenician Women 1019

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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